


Love and Trust and Need

by dsa_archivist



Category: due South
Genre: Challenge Response, Drama, M/M, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 1999-11-20
Updated: 1999-11-20
Packaged: 2018-11-10 15:46:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11129877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dsa_archivist/pseuds/dsa_archivist
Summary: RayK is lost in the Canadian wilderness and gets help from an unexpected source





	Love and Trust and Need

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Speranza, the archivist: this story was once archived at [Due South Archive](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Due_South_Archive). To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in June 2017. I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Due South Archive collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/duesoutharchive).

Love and Trust and Need  
by Magnes  
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Alliance. I'm just borrowing them  
and I promise to put them back when I'm done.  
Spoiler: This story  
takes place after the events in the Due South fourth season episode "Call  
of the Wild"  
Rating: PG Implied slash  
Special thanks to Melanie and my beta readers!  
  
  
"Yank?"  
. . .  
"Yankee?"  
. . .  
"Hey, Yank! Wake up, son! I need you to wake up right now and look  
at me."  
"F-F-"  
"That's a boy! Wake up, sonny!"  
"Fr-Fraser?"  
"Yes."  
"Fraser?"  
"Yes?"  
"Where's...Fraser?"  
"Right here. Come on, Yank. You're doing fine. Lift your head up.   
That's it."  
"Where's...Fraser?"  
"I'm right here."  
"You're not... where's...Ben...Ben...Fraser?"  
"Who's this Ben?"  
"Fraser."  
"Let's not start that again. Why don't you tell me your name, Yank?"  
"R-Ray...Kowal-ski."  
"Open your eyes."  
"S'cold."  
"You're three degrees above the Arctic Circle, Kowalski, of course it's  
cold. You'll warm up a bit if you move. Come along, get up."  
"Who..?"  
"Me? Sergeant Fraser. RCMP. At your service. And you do look as if  
you need my service, Mr. Kowalski. What is it? You look confused."  
"Fraser. My friend is Benton Fraser. I left him...left him-"  
"Not  
wise. Why did you leave him?"  
"I have to get help. He's injured. Fell in a ravine. I couldn't reach  
him...or the sled. I think his leg is broken. I-"  
"Where were you  
going now?"  
"W-We passed a village this mornin'. It's about ten, twelve miles back,  
I think. Gotta get help."  
"You left him alone?"  
"Dief is with him."  
"You threw him to the wolf?"  
"N-no...I threw Dief to him. I-I have to get help."  
"Look at me, Yank."  
"Where are you?"  
"Kowalski, it's dusk. Can't you see me?"  
"Where are you?"  
"Where are your glasses? Don't you have any eye protection?"  
"Did.  
Lost 'em when the sled..."  
"Look up. Hmm...I do believe you are snow blind, Kowalski."  
"Just plain blind without my glasses, actually, I think. You gotta help  
me."  
"I intend to. I can't carry you and I don't have a dog team...Can  
you walk?"  
"Yeah."  
"Good. Get up now, son. Your other snow shoe is right behind you.   
Get it on your foot. Cover your mouth again. This is not going to be  
easy, Yank."  
"I don't care. I gotta get help. Fraser..."  
"I'm just to your left. Follow my voice. You got a little off course.  
You're about seven miles from where you want to be. How long have you  
been walking?"  
"Few hours."  
"I believe you may be in a mild state of shock, Kowalski."  
"Prob'ly. Hit my head when I fell."  
"I figured it had to be something like that. Just keep with my voice.  
You'll do fine."  
  
  
  
  
"Kowalski!"  
. . .  
"Ray, get up!"  
"I-"  
"No excuses! Get up! On your feet!"  
"I can't move."  
"Your mouth can, the rest of you can, too. Get up! This is not a scheduled  
break."  
. . .  
"That's it. Up. Ben is depending on you. Always remember that. He  
looks to you for support and caring. He needs you. I know it's hard.  
I know you're freezing. You've got to keep moving forward. If you don't  
make it, Ben won't make it."  
"...understood..."  
"Walk with me, Ray. No drifting. Follow my voice."  
"S'colder."  
"The Arctic does that. You're lucky there's not too much wind right  
now. So, what's a tenderfoot Yankee doing this far north?"  
"We...we're  
on an adventure."  
"An adventure?"  
"Lookin'...lookin' for the Hand of Franklin."  
"Does such a thing exist?"  
"I dunno. Doesn't matter if it does or not."  
"So why are you here and not Chicago?"  
"How'd you-"  
"Kowalski, you've got an accent thicker than musk-ox stew."  
"Oh."  
"So why are you here in Canada and not the States?"  
"I didn't want to leave him. We're friends. Partners. We're...I'm  
a cop...Frase's a Mountie, too. Ow!"  
"Sorry. Branch, Kowalski.  
Guess I got distracted. Partners?"  
"A team. A...duet. We work  
well together. We went through some bad times...decided to make some  
good times. On an adventure."  
"Interesting choice of words. Not  
a trip or a journey or a tour. An adventure."  
"That's what it's  
been."  
"So why doesn't it matter?"  
"What doesn't matter?"  
"You said it doesn't matter if this Hand of Franklin exists or not.   
Why not?"  
"'Cause I already found what I'm lookin' for up here."  
"Ben."  
"Yeah."  
"Have you two been looking very hard?"  
"Heh. I've been lookin' hard...not for the Hand of Franklin, that's  
for sure."  
"He's grown on you, has he?"  
"Like a...lichen. Y'know he actually got me to eat one of those things?"  
"The acid test of friendship. I take it you passed?"  
"He didn't tell me what it was until the next day."  
"There's plenty on the trees if you're feeling peckish."  
"N'thanks, Fraser, I'm not in a grazing mood."  
"Do you know anything about Canada, Kowalski?"  
"It's damned cold and people eat the weirdest stuff."  
"And you just followed him out here?"  
"Yeah."  
"Just like that?"  
"Yeah."  
"Why? Branch."  
"Thanks."  
"Why?"  
"'Cause I wanted to be with him. I'm incomplete without him."  
"You  
love him?"  
"Yeah. He's my best friend."  
"And more?"  
. . .  
"What makes you work so well together?"  
"Lotta things."  
"Name one."  
"Trust. I trust 'em with my life."  
"Your soul?"  
"Yeah."  
"Would you hesitate to lay down your life for him?"  
"Nope."  
"Rock. Step to the right."  
"Thanks."  
"Have you told him?"  
"He knows."  
"Are you sure? Rest here a minute. Shake that snow out of the webbing  
on your shoes. Name another thing."  
"Huh?"  
"Something else that makes you and Ben such a good team."  
"We need each other."  
"Professionally?"  
"Yeah. He keeps me sane. Drives me insane, too, but it kinda balances  
itself out."  
"Personally?"  
"Yeah. I guess it's kinda nice to be needed for a change."  
"Rest time's over. That's it - I know you're tired. Keep talking.   
So, you need each other."  
"Yeah."  
"Love, trust, and need. Sounds like you two have a lot going for you.  
More than most pairings. A lot of people live their lives looking for  
those things."  
"Have you, Fraser?"  
"Have I had them or have I looked for them?"  
"You tell me."  
"Both. But I was foolish. I didn't recognize them when they were in  
front of me. I didn't tell the right people the right things. Branch-oh!  
"Ow! Christ!"  
"Language, Mr. Kowalski. Ah, you'll have a nice bruise."  
"S'okay. I've had 'em before. How far have we come?"  
"Well, we've covered a lot of territory."  
"We almost there?"  
"I think so. Not much more."  
"Feels like we've been walking all night."  
"We have."  
"Ever-ever try to make up? Fer not tellin', I mean."  
"I...didn't get the chance."  
"That's too bad. Well, you've got two out of three with me."  
"What  
do you mean?"  
"Trust and need. Get Frase help and I'll definitely love ya."  
"Hmm...I  
guess I'm flattered but how about you save the loving part for Ben?"  
"Plenty to go around, Fraser."  
"Keep a clean mind, Kowalski. I'm a married man."  
"Heh...clean mind, pure heart, grow old and die anyway."  
"If you're fortunate."  
"...yeah..."  
"Why so gloomy all of a sudden?"  
"Just thinkin'."  
"What of? Keep talking, Ray. This is for your benefit."  
"Well...Frase's dad. He was a Mountie, too. He got murdered. Fraser  
came to Chicago to track down the killer."  
"Did he get him?"  
"Yeah."  
"Why so sad?"  
"Never thought about it, but if Frase hadn't lost his dad..."  
"You  
never would have met him."  
"Yeah. Kind of a downer, don'tcha think?"  
"Maybe. In my experience, though, son, joy and love and devotion transcend  
grief. And you've always got to push forward."  
"Guess."  
"You're almost there, Yank."  
"Good, 'cause I can't feel my legs. Are they still moving, Fraser?"  
"Yes, Kowalski, you're doing an excellent job. Not much longer, son.  
I'm proud of you."  
"Thank you...kindly, Fraser. That means a lot  
to me."  
"What you're doing right now means a lot to me."  
"Walkin'?"  
"Getting help. Listen."  
"Dogs?"  
"Yes. You're here. Keep walking towards the noise. Wonderful things,  
huskies. Can't keep their mouths shut or their bellies full."  
"Fraser?"  
"Yes?"  
"How weird is it you've got the same last name as my Fraser?"  
"Not  
very, all things considered."  
"How can I ever thank you?"  
"Tell Ben how you feel. Promise me."  
"Yeah. Yeah, okay. I promise."  
"How easy was that?"  
"Very."  
"Then there's hope. Now you keep walking, Ray. Keep walking towards  
the dogs."  
  
  
  
  
"Ray?"  
. . .  
"Ray?"  
. . .  
"Ray? RAY!"  
"Wha-ah! Ow. Frase?"  
"Yes, Ray."  
"...hi..."  
"Hi."  
"Where's...what's...this a bed?"  
"A real one. With sheets."  
"Didn'...think they had 'em domesticated up here."  
"We've got the only ones in captivity. I'm sorry, but I have to wake  
you periodically. You have a concussion."  
"Where's Fraser?"  
"I'm right here, Ray."  
"No, the other one. The Mountie."  
"What Mountie?"  
"Found me. Brought me back...is he here?"  
"Ray...the Inuit said you were alone."  
"No...there was a Mountie. Sergeant Fraser. He sounded older. He got  
me back here."  
"What did he look like?"  
"Couldn't tell. I was kinda snow blind and I dunno where my glasses  
ended up."  
"They fell off in the snow. Dief found them. A Mountie?"  
"Yeah. He was a lot like you. Never stopped talking."  
"Ray...the Inuit followed your tracks all the way back to me. There  
was only one set of prints."  
"Huh?"  
"You made it back alone."  
"Mm, no, Frase, I wasn't alone."  
"Hmm. Well, you're being treated for dehydration and exposure. You  
hit your head pretty hard. That probably contributed to your present  
state."  
"I'm tired."  
"Yes."  
"You okay?"  
"I have sustained a fractured tibia, one cracked rib, a sprained arm  
and shoulder, and a variety of cuts and abrasions."  
"You okay?"  
"Now I am. Thank you kindly, Ray."  
"Fraser and me...we talked."  
"Indeed. What about?"  
"Love and trust and need."  
"What about them?"  
"I love you. I trust you. I need you."  
"And I, you."  
"I mean that."  
"So do I. Measure for measure."  
"I'm...oh...glad."  
"As am I. You need to sleep, Ray."  
"Okay. I just wonder..."  
"What?"  
"How the hell did Fraser know I was a Yankee...before I woke up?"  
. . .  
"Frase?"  
"I don't know. Maybe it was the hair."  
"I had a hat on. What's so funny?"  
"I'm very glad I have you, Ray."  
"...freak..."  
"I love you, too."  
  
  
  
"Ray?"  
. . .  
"Ray?"  
. . .  
"Thanks, Dad."  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
